“He served Nigeria from his youth to the evening of his life, as a teacher and moulder of minds and later as a leader and moulder of nations.

“After his untimely overthrow from office, he continued to devote his time and effort to nation building through the elder statesmanly role he played, including during my time in office as Vice President.

“He will be greatly missed. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljannah Firdaus.”